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A Rewarding Experience - Jam

[intro]Word on the gaming street is that Microsoft are planning on taking Xbox 360 achievements to a whole new level.[/intro]Word on the gaming st

02 February 2007/14:53GMT

[intro]Word on the gaming street is that Microsoft are planning on taking Xbox 360 achievements to a whole new level.[/intro]

Word on the gaming street is that Microsoft are planning on taking Xbox 360 achievements to a whole new level.

Earlier this week, DeaconBlade of www.unscripted360.com announced that unlocking gaming achievements could soon bring actual rewards. What exactly these rewards could be we can only speculate. A free faceplate? Desktop background? Exclusive gamer pictures? Who knows where it could end? I secretly think Frag Doll Kitt has her finger’s crossed for a free Viva Pinata cuddly toy.

Although getting free stuff for doing what a lot of gamers already do – play games – sounds pretty cool, I’m apprehensive about the supposed scheme. It’s a fairly safe assumption to say that achievements persuade gamers to play titles they wouldn’t play otherwise. This is a good thing. Sure, I wouldn’t call NHL 26K the highlight of my gaming career (1000 gamer points in half an hour!), but it is nice having a bit of an incentive. However, it is also argued that gamer points take the fun out of the gaming experience. Become too fixated on achievements and a game becomes a chore. Would increasing incentives for achievements overshadow the simple enjoyment of gaming? Will gamers begin to judge a game by the accessibility of its gamer points?

Microsoft currently neither deny nor confirm the achievement reward rumours. Either way, DeaconBlade assures us that all will become clear soon.